Thermal insulating material and method of making the same



1953 T. D. COL/E 2,631,644

THERMAL INSULATING MATERIAL AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed May 7 1949 IN'-'ENT0R. J

Qfifiafneys.

March 17 Patented Mar. 17, 1953 lTHERlHAL. INSULATING .MATERIAL AND METHOD OFMAKINGLTHE. SAME Thomas D. Cole, Lockport,N.Y., assignor to Lockport Cotton Batting Co.,*Lockport,

.JlpjilicationMay 7, 194a, .seria1.no..91;912

'8-Claims. I (01.154 28) 1 invention "relates ,to thermal insulating material: of the type commonly used for building vainsulation 0121 01 :insulatingzother structures and fi-which'is.madeaofafibrous materials.

ioneiof the objects of this invention is to proivide...-.insulating .material in the form. of batts,

' .,panels-aor:.-the liket-requiringiless fibrous material withoutdiminishing.thebulk or volume thereof. :Another obj ect is to provide animproved process for makingmaterialof this type.

'A' furtherobjecttis-z-to provide insulating batts, panels ;or .thelike, .of'this .typemade of agplurality of layers of loosely matted fibrous material portions of which the layers are less -..densely;packed than in other portions.

-.Other objects 'andadv-antages will be apparent .irom I the .following description 'of one .embodi-, .mentof theyinvention-and the novel features will -.be particularly pointed' out hereinafter in con- .nection withthe appended claims.

.zsuperiinposed one .upon the -other, .and. some portions Jof the films .or .websof the :sheet .material :iareclaidin. folded or overlapping :relation in contact with each other while'other portions of the 'iilmspr w'ebsxare arrange'd...in spaced or loosely packedzrelationto each .othenthus forming .relaitivelyilarger air cells between these last meni'tioned portions. of "the film or web.

In my jimproved insulating material, the panels or'pieces of insulating material .are divided into "alternate zones arranged substantially parallel *to-, each'-other crosswise-*ofthe directionof feed one-seriesOfzonesthe Web'insulatingmaterial is folded iback on itself "and in the "other zones, the film or *webis "fed straight across such zones without folding. As"atresult;"the portions of the ifi lms :orwwebs 'inthetfirst;mentioned zones-wilLlie tin'contact with each other ini't'he same manner :a in prior i-nsulatinggpanls. .In'the o'ther zones,

there "are fewer layers "of web "of material, so that intheintermediate zones the layers are not compressed andtendto expand orfiu'ff' up sothat they appear of "increased thickness, as shown .in ;the'drawings. These layers may be spacedfrom each other or 'conta'ct'only'lightly with adjacent layers. Consequently, in these intermediate zones'the' layers. tend to form larger or "more air spaces between the "fibers-and between the layers.

In thei'manu'facture of insulating m'ateriahof this typeiofa'sin'gle" or :continuous film or web of matted fibrous. material as it.is' dischargedfrom a machine such for example as a garnetting "machine; in accordance with my. invention, this film or web is folded upon itself or overlapped; as shown by waynf example in Fig. 2. In this figure, afilmpr web o'f'fibrous material may startat 5 .and thenbe fol'dedback on itself and then. "forwardlyfthusproducing three layers within the first zone 6:.of .the insulating panel. This material"in"Fig. i2'isjshown as lyingona table, "con- 'IVBYOI'" belt, or other support 21.

The sheet of material'then'passes directly and without "'folding'toasecond zone 1 where it is similarly folded back "upon itself, and then passes "on to successive'zones 8 and 9, in'whi'ch the'sheetiimaterial is folded in a similar 'manner until it passes 'to' thelast'zon'e ID, at which the 'isthen passed back'to zones 9 .and Band I :re-

"spectively,fat which "zones thewebof material :may befo'ldedback on itself in the same manner as already described in connection with those .zones. .At zoneQG, in' which the web ofmaterial :.must'.be turned back torepeat the fold iin'the 40 zones 6, I, 8, '9'and ID will have substantially "the "same number'oflayers of material therein.

"Inthe"other orintermediate zones ll, [2, l3

and I4, it will be noted that materially fewer layers of "the"fibrous material are provided, and

"these layers l i-because of "the nature of this fibeeni'folded '-over:in-the zones 6, J "8, is and' I 0., to :"proiduce the idesired thickness :01 the'rbattg the ora web iofimaterialvis :passeds'trai-ght across arranged between the "first mentioned zones, the various zones without folding, ithustorming"a 1 relation to each other and this invention.

finishing surface I! for the outer faces of the panel.

The structure described results in the forming in each of the zones 6 to Ill a column extending throughout the length of the batt or panel. These columns determine the thickness of the panel and also enable the built up panel or batt to retain its required shape. The columns also form su ports for the layers or films of the fibrous material extending across the spaces between these columns in such manner that larger air spaces or pockets are formed in zones l I to l 4 due to the density of the material being less in these zones. Since the fibrous material is ofa fiuffy nature, the material forms larger air spaces between the fibers in these zones than in the zones 6 to l 0, in which the material is more compacted. The columns in zones 6 to ID, consecluently, support the layers which are stretched across the other or intermediate zones and hold these layers more or less in suspension. By having the upper most layer I! extending straight across the panel or batt without folding, the columns in the. zones 6 to In are connected to hold the same in correct spaces.

I have illustrated by way of example only five zones in which the material is folded or overto form additional air lapped on itself, but it will, of course, be under-.

stood that panels of material of materially greater widths may be made by continuing the folding of the web of material in a number of additional zones. Similarly smaller panels with fewer zones .and of less widths may be made.

When the folding is completed, the material may be cut lengthwise along the lines I8 to form batts or panels of the required dimensions, the cuts being made in zones in which the material is folded. The resulting panels or batts, such for example as shown in Fig. 1, will then have the fibrous insulating material in the two end zones at the sides of the batt and in an intermediate zone laid face to face and in the other zones or spaces between the first mentioned zones the layers will be arranged in substantially spaced relation to each other, thus forming relatively larger air spaces and less density of material. The batt described is of lighter weight per unit of volume than batts heretofore made of similar material, since it contains less material. terial is of a loose felted nature, it is not necessary to secure the layers of the film or web to each other by adhesive or other external means,

since the fibers of one layer of material-will felt together with the fibers of an adjacent layer mensions may be used in any suitable or usual manner. For example, the batts may be secured to paper sheets I 9 in the usual manner, as shown in Fig. l, the edges of the sheets extending be,- yond the batts to permit them to be nailed or otherwise secured to the studs or rafters and, if desired, the opposite faces and edge portions of the batts may, of course, be covered with other paper sheets, as has heretofore been common practice.

Fibrous materials of animal, mineral or vegetable origin or synthetic fibers maybe employed for producing insulating material according to Since the ma-.

It will be understood that various changes in the details, materials, and arrangements of parts which have been herein described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of the invention, may be made by those skilled in the art within the principle and scope of the invention, as expressed in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A thermal insulating panel comprising a plurality of relatively thin layers of a film of readily compressible fibrous material superimposed one upon another, said panel having a plurality of zones extending parallel to each other in which the layers are folded back and forth within said zone, and other zones located intermediate said first mentioned zones and across which said layers extend without folding, said plurality of layers in said first mentioned zones forming columns extending throughoutthe length of said panel which determine the thickness of said panel and which support the unfolded layers in said other zones in partly suspended relation to each other, said material in said first mentioned zones being compressed to a greater extent than the material in said other zones and the film in said other zones being expanded into greater thickness than the film in said first zones to form a panel of substantially the same thickness throughout.

2. A thermal insulating panel according to claim 1 in which the uppermost layer of said fibrous material extends straight across the panel without folds to bridge the spaces between said columns.

3. A thermal insulating panel formed of a continuous thin film of readily compressible fibrous material arranged in a plurality of layers, said panel comprising a plurality of zones extending parallel to and spaced from each other, each successlve layer of said film being overlapped upon itself within said zones and extending across the spaces between zones without overlapping, the material in said zones supporting the weight of the material in said spaces between said zones and being compacted thereby, said material in said spaces being free to expand to substantially fill said spaces and to form larger air spaces between the fibers, said overlapped portions of said film in said zones forming columns extending lengthwise of said panel and forming supports for the unfolded layers in the spaces between said columns.

4. A method of making a thermal insulating panel, comprising laying a film of matted readily compressible fibrous insulating -material in a series of layers extending successively in opposite directions crosswise'of the panel, said panel having a plurality of zones extending parallel to and spaced from each other and from the edges of said panel, and folding said film of material upon itself in overlapping relation within said zones, and passing the film from one zone to the next without overlapping in the spaces between said zones, to produce more layers of material in said zones than in the spaces between said zones.

5. A method of making a thermal insulating panel, comprising laying a film of readily compressible fibrous insulating materia1 in a series of layers extending successively in opposite directions crosswise of the panel, folding said film back on itself within certain zones in said panel at the edges of the panel and intermediate of the edges thereof to form a plurality of overlapping layers in said zones, and passing the material without folding across the spaces between zones.

panel of a series of layers of a film of readily compressible fibrous material, comprising laying said film in a zone at one edge of the panel first toward the opposite edge thereof, then back toward the first edge and then forward to the opposite edge, then laying said film without folding across a space from said zone toward another zone, repeating the folding in said other zone and in successive spaced zones, then laying said film in the opposite direction from said opposite edge toward said first edge and repeating the folding of the film in said zones, and continuing the laying and folding in said zones until the panel at said zones has attained the required thickness, to form larger air spaces in the films in said spaces between zones.

7. A method according to claim 6 and including the laying of the last layer of the panel across from one edge to the opposite edge without folding the same in said zones.

' 8, A thermal insulating panel comprising a plu-= rality of layers of garnetted cotton superimposed REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,128,759 Clarke Feb. 16, 1915 1,137,197 Ellis Apr. 27, 1915 2,428,709 Hlavaty Oct. 7, 1947 

